


Start Noticing

by kailaris_rites_223



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (Not much to tag here really), F/M, Friends to Lovers, Implied Aang/Katara - Freeform, Implied Mai/Ty Lee, M/M, No Dialogue, Polyamorous Characters, Sokka and Mai friendship formed, bi mai, bi sokka, bi zuko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 13:15:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16138004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kailaris_rites_223/pseuds/kailaris_rites_223
Summary: Sokka is a pretty observant guy. He has an amazing capability to put together strategies on the fly, as well as a quick joke here and there. He may not be as strong as his sister Katara, or as skilled of a fighter as Aang or Toph, but he could proudly say he's the brain of the group. So, when something starts to catch his eye, he starts to notice things about himself.





	Start Noticing

**Author's Note:**

> This is just something that I've been kind of been tossing up in my mind for like...a few days now. I'm only posting it because @JemBane told me I should. Overall, this is just kinda an indulgent ship; I don't think about it too often actually, but it's just one that's nice to write. I'm such a sucker for friends to lovers tropes, you have no idea. And honestly, Zuko just deserves a lot of love. If you're reading this, I hope you enjoy it!

Sokka isn't exactly sure when he started to notice these things. He knows it was definitely after Zuko had joined their group. Sokka wouldn't have ever looked at Zuko the way he does now back then. Hell, if he had, he would wonder if he got hit in the head by Boomerang himself. An approximate time would be around when they were at the Boiling Rock. Just, having to depend and trust each other that much changes the way you see someone.  
  
Don't get Sokka wrong. Girls were great. Yue would probably be the first girl he really had affections for, and Suki was gorgeous. And then just overall generally pretty girls he's seen during their travels. It's just that now, Sokka noticed things. He would like to say it was before Zuko, but Sokka wasn't completely sure about that. There weren't guys around Sokka's age back in the Southern Water Tribe. And the guys they had met on their journey across the nations just weren't his type.  
  
But now? Now, when Sokka sees the looks Bato sends his Dad when his Dad isn't looking, his gut just clenches in understanding. When Zuko laughs or tries to be funny—which has been fifty-fifty on whether or not it actually succeeds—Sokka gets the same feeling in his stomach that he gets when Suki laughs and smiles at him. It reminds Sokka that he's a teenager still, even if he did have to grow up way too fast.  
  
When the war comes to an end, Suki goes back to Kyoshi Island. Sokka understands why she does this; it hurts, but he respects her decision and he really cares for her. When she kisses him in parting, he feels a tingling in his lips. It felt way too permanent of a goodbye for his liking. Aang and Katara were going to dismantle the Fire Nation colonies across the Earth Kingdom—to which Sokka felt pride in seeing Zuko adamantly agree to—while Toph was going to start teaching other earthbenders how to metalbend.  
  
Sokka didn't remember knowing how to feel back then. His strategies weren't needed anymore. There was no more war to fight, and now here he was, an experienced fighter who's only known war his entire life. It wasn't until Zuko asked him to stay around for a while that Sokka felt like he was needed again. Zuko was a good fighter, but Sokka soon came to realize that he really didn't know how to handle politics. Mai did, fantastically too, but Zuko needed to be able to think of them himself as well. So that's where Sokka came in.  
  
They spent a lot of time together. It was nice, having a guy friend who was actually Sokka's age for once. Sure, Sokka sometimes admired the figure Zuko gave, as this scarred yet still handsome young Fire Lord trying to rebuild a war-broken nation. Zuko wasn't exactly a difficult sight to look at, if you know what Sokka meant. And training together was an easy way to hone their skills; it might be a time of peace, but there were always those who might come and try to destroy that peace. And considering how fragile it was, it was of the utmost importance outside of politics to keep those battle-ready reflexes sharp.  
  
And then seeing Zuko firebend was a sight to marvel at. Mai would do it as well, and Sokka would sit by her and watch. It was something different than watching him teach Aang, or after they learned from the Sun Warriors. The way Zuko moved just drew your gaze towards it. And it was a way for Sokka and Mai to really bond. She wasn't a terrible person, even if she was a bit gloomy. She had a cynical sense of humor Sokka could appreciate, and she really was extremely beautiful. Whenever Sokka saw Zuko kiss Mai, his heart hurt a bit. But he wasn't going to say anything to ruin their relationship, or the friendship Sokka had with Zuko. That friendship was more valuable to Sokka than he'd like to admit.  
  
When they grew older, you can imagine Sokka's shock when Zuko asks him to be the best man at his wedding with Mai. Considering how big of a deal this was—the Fire Lord was getting married—Sokka felt touched at this gesture. There were so many high-ranking officials Zuko could've reached out too. And here he was, asking Sokka to do it. And the wedding really was amazing. It fit the couple very well; despite them both being nobles and it being a huge and momentous occasion, it was a relatively humble wedding, despite all the people there. Sokka was happy for Mai and Zuko, he really was. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt when they kissed. But Sokka didn't mention that to anyone; instead, he just delivered his Best Man speech with a lot of inside jokes and witty comments that got the place laughing.  
  
As they started to build Republic City, Sokka noticed that their friendship started to shift. As Mai and Zuko already had a child—a wonderfully intelligent daughter named Izumi—it seemed the couple were growing distant. Zuko mentioned off-hand that Ty Lee was back at the palace and hanging around Mai a lot. Sokka wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but he noticed that Zuko seemed to be a bit more comfortable with casual touch with Sokka. They would go out for drinks together and talk about life outside of Republic City and politics. Just be themselves, like they had when they were teenagers.  
  
And despite all the things Sokka noticed, he hadn't noticed how physically close they had become one night while they were back at Zuko's palace—Zuko owning a dragon helped travel go by quickly. Sokka had noticed that Zuko slept alone in his chambers while Mai had her own as well. Sokka had noticed that Zuko had been getting comfortable as he removed all his regal attire to the much more fitting and simpler attire he found more pleasant to wear. They had been sitting on the bed and talking, and the next thing Sokka knew, Zuko was pressing his lips to Sokka's.  
  
Sokka notices that Zuko's lips were somewhat rough, probably from biting them so much due to his nerves. He notices that his own eyes are closed and that he's melting into the kiss. He notices the hands that are way too calloused for a Fire Lord's hands wrap around his waist and press into the small of his back. He notices that his hands go the dark hair that has been steadily getting longer over the past few years, and that it feels a lot silkier than it looks. He notices that his heart is pounding way too fast for his own good; he also notices that he doesn't care if it is.  
  
After that, when they separate and Sokka notices the light flush dusting across Zuko's face and the shy grin the firebender has on his face, Sokka realizes something. He realizes that he's been falling for years for this awkward yet lovable guy who is trying to do the best for his country while still working on fixing the parts of himself that have been broken from abuse from those who are supposed to be loved ones. The funniest thing about his realization?  
  
He didn't even notice it.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I didn't add any dialogue because I didn't want to screw up the characterization, so it is rather short. But I really hope you enjoyed it! If it isn't obvious who the polyamorous characters are, they're Zuko and Mai, because they seem distant, but they still love each other a lot, but have also more than one partner and are okay with the other having more than one partner. Please leave kudos/comments, I thrive off of validation! And if you see any spelling or grammar errors, please let me know!
> 
>  
> 
> Update: holy SHIT I didn't think this would be this popular! Over 100 kudos!!! Thank you so much!!! I genuinely just kinda...threw this out there into the world, and I'm so genuinely and pleasantly shocked how much you guys enjoy it, so thank you! And to those who comment, thank you as well! Overall, thank you SO much!!!


End file.
